DEVOTIONARY. CHRISTIAN DIAMOND. MISSAL. ANTONIO ROCA. 1851

Description:
- The missal contains four chromolithographs exempt from the text, plus 8 engravings, also outside the text, all etchings on steel, lithographs.
- It is possible that a chromolithograph existed at the beginning of the Devotional.
- The chromolithographs are signed as: Riera San Juan artistic lithography.
- The engravings, in all of them Antonio Roca appears as the engraver.
- Antonio Roca (1814-1864), a steel engraver, has a good place in the history of Spanish engraving. He taught sweet engraving at the School of Fine Arts and was the author of a large number of plates for many works.
- Dated 1851, this missal has spectacular covers in the Art Nouveau style, with a copper rosette in the centre of the front cover, depicting the Descent from the Cross.
- In addition to the beautiful engravings, the central rosette is of a very high quality, with a spectacular looseness. As it is a miniature, the detail with which it is made makes it the most striking and high quality part of the missal.
- The copper rosette has an inscription at the bottom: Argen R. or Arsen. It may be missing some letters that we have not been able to identify. The clasp is silver, with the contrast.
Parts of the Contents:
- Single volume. Spanish copy, with the complete text.
- White floral flyleaves. Respect leaf. Title page. Legal page. Engraving. Contents. Table of contents. Respect leaf. White floral flyleaves.
Description of the book:
- Sewn binding of good execution, with guillotined and gilt cuts, from the Second Half of the 19th Century.
- Text and illustrations in single-colour black printing, except for the chromolithographs which are in colour, very good ink, well centred and with good margins.
- Book printed on white paper of medium thickness and good quality.

Conservation and Damage:
- General condition: Fair.
- Sewn binding in fair condition, as the spine is detached from the front cover.
- Cuts have worn gilt, but are not soiled.
- The tips are slightly deteriorated with light creases and folds.
- The first 97 pages are affected by a marginal grease stain.
- The back cover is missing the border on the right.
- Tear on pages 143-144 restored. Small tears on other leaves.
- Stains scattered on several leaves of the Devotional.

Comments:
- Both the Measurements, as well as the Weight, are approximate.
- In order to take the photos of the inside pages, they have been held with tweezers.
- Very interesting book as a collector's item and curiosity.
- The tones of the colours of the photos are not exactly the same as the tones of the real colours.
- The book for sale is the one that corresponds to the photos. The description is not a detailed exposition of the book.
- The data provided here are personal opinions not contrasted.